Does anyone have an opinion on which of these is better for shaping? -mark
Does anyone have an opinion on which of these is better for shaping?>>> -mark The Hitachi is shorter, so it works well with shorter curves. The Skil for me just feels better; mine is cut down in length so it fits the curves better. I got a Hitachi 5 years ago just to try it. I did about 3 boards with it and gave it away. If you don’t have a LOT of money to spend, get the Hitachi. If you can afford it, it’s the Skil hands down.
I have 3 Skils, 2 full lenghth, one chopped and 4 Hitachi’s. The Skils have the horse power over the Hitachi’s any day of the week, but muscling the Skils around from 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week for 35 years is at the least extremely exhausting. I got my first Hitachi about 6 years ago, I hated it. After putting it aside and picking the Skil back up I could feel the weight difference immediately. The Hitachi kept plowing up and down with an uneven cut, lacked the power to mow wide stringers. I stripped it down and found the blades were set very much out of specs, far too deep of cut with the blades hanging below the rear shoe. I sharpened and reset the blades and that was it, even cut, light weight and parts readily available. I now rely on the Hitachi for 99% of my work, I reserve the Skil’s for giant stringers and all wood boards. I go home each day a lot less worked over now.
Does anyone have an opinion on which of these is better for shaping?>>> -mark I skinned one blank with the skil and loved it. I pull the trigger with my left hand which blows dust right into my rt armpit. the skil’s chip deflector will work either way.I dont shape daily and the skil is heavier but I do feel the rocker adj.'s came out better.Skil gets my vote, especially for southpaws.
Does anyone have an opinion on which of these is better for shaping?>>> -mark If you’re just starting out, get the Hitachi; They’re lighter and cheaper. I had a Hitachi about 8 years ago. If I remember correctly, you could only cut on the right side of the body making return cuts from the other direction impossible.The cuts also seemed a little choppy. I had been using a Skil since 1967 when my dad bought it for me when I was just starting out. I still have it , so I’m a little partial to it. I’m sure The Hitachi is a fine planer but it’s just hard to beat the Skil. Aloha, TW